Oriental Studies - Chinese Language - The future of it and the perspectives

[green_hobbit]

Hello friends!

I am new into this forum and really new to the discussion about chinese language in general.

I have started studying chinese 3 years ago, mostly as a hobby and out of my love for languages.

one month ago I attended a summer course on chinese language in BLCU, and started to think a lot more intensely about the perspective of focusing on chinese language and culture as a major which I could follow.

I would like to share your experience on the following things:

1) Which are the occupational perspectives of oriental studies/chinese knowledge in China or in some European Country?? I live in Greece and things here are pretty primitive as far as oriental studies is concerned...but I know that in other European countries they focus a lot more into this particular field.

2) Would it be helpfull to study oriental studies in China or in some other European country?? (like Italy for example??)

Thank you for sharing my thoughts, maybe my questions here sound kind of childish or silly, but I am really new into all this, already fascinated by this new knowledge and totally confused because of my country's inadequate information and focusing on the subject

any opinion will be helpfull

[Erbse]

I have started studying chinese 3 years ago, mostly as a hobby and out of my love for languages.

If this is Your hobby, what is Your main skill?

If I get You right, You want to learn Chinese to earn a living.

Knowing Chinese is a nice skill, but it only is worth something if You combine it with some valuable skill in economics or some technical field.

Combine Chinese with something else and You'll have a great career. However, with only Chinese You can compete in the translating business, which is a buyers market at the moment.

[green_hobbit]

thank you for your reply

well...its not a hobby anymore, although it is something that I like a lot and it really makes me happy to learn...

actually my occupation has to do with translation (from english to greek, on medical texts mainly); but has nothing to do with business or economics...I hate those fields

But what about oriental studies as a main major (in china or other countries)? Has anyone followed such an educational course??

[Michele]

I'm italian, living in china since two years ago, before coming over here i've attended two years in Venice university, my major was oriental studies - chinese language. Venice university was one of the firsts which focused on chinese studies in the west. Said so, i decided to quit cause i thought (and i think) it has no valuable perspective. So I preferred to come here in china, and after one year of chinese lessons at BLCU, i'm studying now in qinghua, but on an other field that nothing have to do with the chinese language, but lessons are thought in chinese, so I can improve my chinese language as well as study a more practical major.

My advice is, if you really want to get into this language you really have to come in china, but taking chinese curses will just lead you to a certain level, from which will be hard to improve, easier will be to study something else tought IN chinese. A russian friend of mine is studying law in my same university and for the same reasons.